


Syncopate

by Lilyliegh



Series: Yuuya Appreciation Week 2017 [6]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 14:17:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyliegh/pseuds/Lilyliegh
Summary: Yuuya really, truly does want to hang out with Dennis, but it's hard to find the motivation to have fun when real life puts such a pressure on your shoulders to get out there and start your life. Fortunately, Dennis is quite the motivating person.





	Syncopate

**Author's Note:**

> if you need to thank anyone for this fic, thank Sparklespritz who gave me the sweetest review on my last denyuu fic, and a random Twitter post i saw a while back that i have a sneaking suspicion was about my fic >w< there needs to be more denyuu in this fandom, and i am more than happy to write some more :3  
> this fic is technically set in the same verse as [The Show Must Go On](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11413284), but you don't need to read it to get the fluffy stuff that happens in this fic. you are more than welcome to check it out though ^^
> 
> also this is meant to be for Yuuya Week 2017, which was back in like august. the prompt for day 06 was enchanted/star-struck, and lemme tell you Dennis is a rather enchanting individual ;)

_ Knock, knock.  _

It’s Dennis.

Yuuya  _ knows  _ it’s Dennis because for the past week Dennis has been stopping by his door, trapping him in the hallways, or catching him around town when Yuuya is dashing off to work. Dennis isn’t stalking him by any means – no, it’s nothing like that. In fact, what Dennis is doing is rather charming and sweet, albeit a bit pushy. Dennis is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, Yuuya tells himself. However, it doesn’t relieve the tension he feels around his neck for having to turn away Dennis once more.

Hopping to his feet, Yuuya pauses when he hears the sound of something louder than a knuckle and more like a foot kick the door. On the other side, Dennnis says,  _ “Open up!”  _ in English, and then begins kicking louder than before.

Yuuya hurries across the room to pull open the door just in case Dennis tries breaking it down with his heel or something. Sure enough, it is Dennis on the other side, standing with one hand still raised and ready to knock again. He pauses for a moment, chuckling to himself, and then reaches through the door and taps Yuuya on the head with his knuckles.

“I thought you might’ve been hiding in there or something,” Dennis says. He pushes back his orange locks, which immediately fall back into place around his twinkling green eyes. No matter where Dennis is, he stands out. Today he clashes especially well with the hallway decor: a blue, short-sleeved shirt under a pair of flamboyant, yellow overalls. One of the straps hangs off his shoulder, perhaps a new fashion trend that Yuuya hasn’t heard about. Dennis is always telling him about what’s in style. For all Yuuya knows, Dennis could be modeling this season’s latest attire.

When Dennis knocks him on the head once more, Yuuya startles and takes a hasty step back. He’s been staring – that’s embarrassing! He brushes it off with an airy laugh that Dennis replicates.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yuuya says. “Uh, come on in, Dennis, here.” He beckons him into the house.

Never one to turn down hospitality, Dennis saunters in and kicks off his shoes at the doorway. Yuuya’s flat isn’t very big – in fact, it’s the same size and style as Dennis’ – but Yuuya’s flat has a lot less to offer. There’s a loveseat and a coffee table set up before the television system. His kitchen has a couple dirty dishes by the sink and some stains on the countertops. One hallway just out to the side where Yuuya’s bathroom, toilet room, and bedroom are. Dennis peeks his head down that hallway at once, sporting a grin that stretches ear to ear.

“I’m not keeping you, am I?” Dennis asks over his shoulder.

Flustered, Yuuya raises a hand at once. “No, no – it’s fine, Dennis.” He shuffles his feet and wrings his hands together, until his mind reminds him that Dennis is a  _ guest  _ and Yuuya is a  _ host.  _ “Here, let me make some tea.”

Once more – and certainly not last time – Dennis laughs. “I didn’t expect this kind of service,” he says. “I should come more often, shouldn’t I?”

This time Yuuya laughs, only it’s a softer, hollower sound that seems to come more from his heart that has yet to quit rapid-fire beating against his ribcage. Yuuya presses a hand to his chest to try and still it. Surely Dennis must be able to hear the palpitations, right? Yuuya gets a bit frazzled whenever Dennis is around because Dennis is … well, he’s a bit frazzling. He’s eccentric and bubbly and full of pizzaz that gets Yuuya’s mind spinning and his heart thumping. Whenever Dennis is around Yuuya feels like he can laugh easier and smile brighter, which often leads to him making a fool of himself.

So before he does just that, Yuuya hurries off to the kitchen. He keeps his back turned so that Dennis can’t see the flaming blush across his cheeks. Though his mind keeps returning to thoughts of Dennis and what he’s doing around the flat, Yuuya tries to prepare a pot of tea. He doesn't have much by way of snacks, so he chops up some apples into bunny-shaped slices and dices some marble cheese. Yuuya doesn’t care much for cheese, as it was never a common staple in his house growing up. However, Dennis swears by the god food. Apparently it’s a staple in America. 

And, well, even if Dennis doesn’t come over every day, Yuuya keeps some in his fridge … just in case.

Yuuya arranges the food on the plate, apples on one side and cheese on the other, and the peeks over his shoulder. At the edge of the kitchen, leaning against the wall, is Dennis. His arms are crossed tight over his chest. On anyone else this pose might have looked stern, but Dennis with all his charm makes it look silly. When he catches Yuuya’s eyes he sticks out his tongue and pinches his eyes closed. Yuuya’s blush returns full-force.

“Let me give you a hand with those,” Dennis says, scooping the plate up from him before Yuuya even has a chance to yank it back. Then he spins on his heel and marches out of the kitchen, leaving Yuuya to carry out the teacups and the half-full teapot. They take up residence on the loveseat. When Yuuya sits down his shoulder brushes against Dennis’, and even the slightest contact makes Yuuya’s entire body fizzle.

“Cosy, isn’t it?” Dennis says in his usual, breezy voice.

“Very,” Yuuya says.

A pause. Yuuya reaches over to take his tea cup. He’s made Earl Grey tea in the hopes that the black tea leaves will calm his nerves. He’s not anxious, not in the way that students get during tests or the way he gets when he has such a burden on his shoulders. No, Yuuya just always feels caught off-guard when Dennis is around. Dennis is a mystery. He’s a wonderful friend, but he’s also an enigma.

“So,” Dennis drawls, drawing Yuuya from his thoughts, “what’s new with you?”

Yuuya’s teacup clatters on his saucer. “W-well, work has been going well –”

“At the grocery store, right?”

“Right.” Yuuya swallows. “I’m getting enough to pay rent and go out with Yuzu after work, so that’s nice. I’ve … been volunteering part-time at You Show Duel School too. Yuzu’s dad wants to pay me for my work, and he’s been slipping bills into my backpack, but honestly I’m not doing anything but helping the kids out. They’re the ones doing the hard work.” Yuuya rubs the back of his head and glances to the side, to where Dennis is watching him with rapt, unwavering interest. “W-what’s new with you, Dennis?”

“This and that,” Dennis says, ever the mystery. “Say …” He lets a slow, Cheshire Cat smile cross his face. “I actually have been thinking about something you might be interested in.”

_ Here it comes,  _ thinks Yuuya.

Dennis lifts his hips up so he can get into the pockets of his yellow overalls. From within the pockets he procures a folded up piece of paper, upon which Yuuya sees a colourful brochure. There’s a company logo on it called “Step Into the Rhythm” and on the poster there are pairs of silhouetted people holding hands, standing rather close to one another, and … dancing?

“Dancing?” Yuuya says, glancing up at Dennis. 

“Dancing,” Dennis says. “You’ve shot down all my ideas to join bowling, tennis, chess, and baseball, so I thought what you needed is the thrill of doing something to the music. You like music, don’t you? You like my music, at least.” He winks, and Yuuya hears his heart thump so loudly against his chest that his neighbours on either side of his flat must’ve heard him.

Dennis continues: “Look, I know you’ve got stuff on your plate, but hear me out. This could be something really fun for both of us. It’s pair dancing too, so you won’t be with a stranger or on some massive team that could sweep you off your feet. Well” – and here Dennis smirks, which sends Yuuya’s heart a-beating again – “I might try to sweep you off  _ your  _ feet if you’re not careful.”

How Dennis can make such remarks so casually is a mystery to Yuuya who feels himself hot and flustered all over. It doesn’t help that he’s still touching Dennis’ shoulder. Dennis must be able to feel it too – even more embarrassing.

“Ah,” Yuuya says, stumbling over his words, “you’re very kind, Dennis, truly, you are. But …” He swallows. “All these sports you want me to play, I really don’t think I have the time for this. It’s so kind of you to invite me, but once again I really should … decline …”

Dennis’ face has fallen like the stars themselves have tumbled from the sky. His lips curl downwards and his thin, orange eyebrows sink over his dull eyes. Even his shoulders slump forward, bumping against Yuuya’s. All the strings holding Dennis up seem to snap at that very moment, and even Yuuya’s hurried “I’m sorry!” can’t mend the strings. 

“You’re really kind, Dennis! Honestly, you are!”

A hollow chuckle. “You’re too busy for anything, aren’t you?”

Yuuya nods, then shakes his head, then … stops. He’s busy, sure, but he spends a lot of time at home alone. Dennis would know seeing as how he lives just upstairs and can hear Yuuya moving around the flat. Dennis must know that Yuuya has the time. It’s the will that Yuuya lacks. While he’s got bits of his life figured out, there’s still a lot he doesn't know. Yuuya should be looking for his future, wherever the hell that could be. Finding his passion through ballroom dancing just seems unreasonable.

Next to him, Dennis’ head hangs over his legs, face bowed and bangs shadowing his eyes and nose. He gives a weak little sniffle that rends Yuuya’s heart in two.

Yuuya swallows the pins in his throat. “I have a friend that might be interested though,” Yuuya says. “Her name’s Ruri and she’s a wonderful dancer – like a bird, she just graces the stage. She’s a friend of my co-worker’s, Yuzu’s friend or classmate or something, and I bet she’d come along with you. She’d probably like you – she likes entertainers like you with your pizzaz and …” Yuuya’s tongue feels like lead when he spots Dennis. Dennis hasn’t raised his head the entire time, leaving it suspended in midair. 

“Dennis?” Yuuya ventures.

A sniffle.

Yuuya begins to move off the couch. “Let me grab you some tissues, and I’ll get you Ruri’s number –”

“Stay.”

Yuuya freezes. “Hm?” he says, since his throat effectively closes up when he hears more and more sniffles, like Dennis is trying his hardest not to cry on Yuuya’s couch. 

“It’s fine,” Dennis says. His voice has a weak note that only tells Yuuya that he should go and at least grab the tissues; however, Yuuya listens to Dennis’ words and settles back down on the loveseat. “It’s fine,” Dennis tells him again. He raises a shaky hand to rub under his bangs, at his eyes and nose, with his shirt sleeve. Then he lifts up his head and forces a small smile.

“I shouldn’t push this onto you.”

Yuuya feels his head tilt forward. “Ye –” Yuuya begins before he bites down on his tongue. “Um, Dennis,” he tries again, “how come … you want me to go with you?”

Dennis never looks caught off-guard, even when Yuuya throws a curveball of a question like that. He shrugs his shoulders and leans back on the couch, looking thoroughly exhausted with pink around his eyes and nose. He wipes his nose on his sleeve once more before he says, “Is it weird to say that I want to hang out with my upstairs neighbour?”

_ Thump-thump!  _ goes Yuuya’s heart again, at the same time as his cheeks turn pink. It’s the wrong time to be blushing, Yuuya knows it, but he can’t help but feel surprised by Dennis’ bold words. Yuuya stumbles for a response before settling on, “I guess not.”

Dennis shrugs. “I thought so too. You are pretty busy though, so I’m sorry I was so pushy. We can still be good friends and not do all these activities.” 

In Dennis’ hand the flier quivers back and forth. Yuuya stares hard at it, at the two dancing figures on the front cover. The lead partner holds the following partner close; both of them are so tall and elongated, stretched figures that sweep across the paper itself. It looks so beautiful even as a simple image. In drama school, there were dance electives Yuuya took. Sometimes, he even dances around the flat, and …

Wait.

Yuuya looks up at Dennis. Has … has Dennis seen him dance before?

Yuuya doesn’t want the answer to that question.

Tapping the paper with a finger, Yuuya asks, “What days are classes on?”

The sparkle returns to Dennis’ eyes, as does his tell-tale smile. “Thursdays, the day you don’t work –”

“You know my schedule!” Yuuya interrupts. His eyes bulge out of his head, breathing catching in his throat. Before he chokes, Yuuya takes a hasty sip of his hot tea and shoves a piece of apple in his mouth. This will keep him from blabbering on. It also gives him a chance to see that, next to him, Dennis is  _ grinning.  _ Beaming. The sun could burst in through the window and Dennis would still shine brighter. Yuuya’s face only feels hotter.

A hand claps him round the shoulder, tugging him closer. Yuuya lets himself fall, toppling into Dennis and getting close and personal and oh god can the thrum of his heart get any louder, this sure is embarrassing –

“Thanks, Yuuya.” Dennis breathes in and out, a steady rhythm from the lungs of the man who bellows ballads out his window when he’s certain Yuuya has his window open too. Then, chuckling, Dennis asks, “Have you ever danced before?”

“A bit,” Yuuya admits, “but not ballroom dancing, not –”

No sooner are the words out of his mouth is Yuuya swept to his feet, flying off the couch, miraculously around the coffee table, and into the middle of the room. The apartment doesn’t have much space, but Dennis finds a way to get them in the centre of the room where they can at least twirl. With graceful moves he takes Yuuya’s arms. One arm he stretches outwards, while the other he tucks along his shoulder blade. Dennis uses his own arm to balance Yuuya’s; he clasps the other hand tightly. Despite how far they’ve stretched their bodies, Dennis is  _ close.  _ Yuuya can count the freckles around his nose and the verdant greens of his eyes. His bangs sweep across the bridge of his nose and settle somewhere between his eyes, so that when Yuuya looks forward he can fall into the depths of Dennis’s smouldering looks and not have to worry that he’s hot and sweaty.

Then Dennis moves. He sweeps Yuuya forward, then backward, to the side, around the room; the lights cast and fall on their intertwined forms. Yuuya’s feet become lost in the whirl, but somehow Dennis has the inhuman strength to carry him through the moves. There’s no music in their ears, but the beat of their feet on the floor creates a symphony that Yuuya can follow along to. However this has happened, however it’s become possible – how can Dennis be this  _ good?  _ How can Yuuya have someone like this in his life?

“You look like you’re having fun!” Always airy, always cheery. Dennis can manage to talk while taking Yuuya through moves that get his heart pumping with exertion.

Yuuya nods. He doesn’t trust his voice to say how he truly feels, held by Dennis, wrapped up in this entertainment – this vibrant, beautiful swing of life. 

_ Tap, tap  _ goes their feet on the floor.

_ Slide.  _ They slip across the floor, making the world their stage. No matter where Dennis leads him, Yuuya follows. He lets the music in his ears and the hand around his hand take him through the motions.

_ Take me,  _ thinks Yuuya.  _ Take me through this star-struck world. _


End file.
